Rian van der Merwe
@rianvdm.com
👋 Product person, curious learner, and music fanatic.
👨💻 Data and other platform things at @cloudflare.social
✍️ Blog → https://elezea.com
🎸 Music DB side project → https://listentomore.com
🤖 Music trivia bot → @listentomore.bsky.social
👨💻 Data and other platform things at @cloudflare.social
✍️ Blog → https://elezea.com
🎸 Music DB side project → https://listentomore.com
🤖 Music trivia bot → @listentomore.bsky.social
An engineer recently sent me some questions about the #productmanagement role. I took a long time to respond because I saw it as a great opportunity to reflect on the role and what it means to me. I decided to share my answers here, in case it’s useful for anyone else!
elezea.com/2025/06/prod...
elezea.com/2025/06/prod...
Product Management: The Good, the Hard, and How to Know If It's Right for You
What I like most about the job, what makes me sometimes want to take a break, and how to choose between PM and EM roles.
elezea.com
June 22, 2025 at 4:16 PM
An engineer recently sent me some questions about the #productmanagement role. I took a long time to respond because I saw it as a great opportunity to reflect on the role and what it means to me. I decided to share my answers here, in case it’s useful for anyone else!
elezea.com/2025/06/prod...
elezea.com/2025/06/prod...
“MCP Is RSS for AI” is a good analogy, but my analogy would be that MCP is like “Dynamic FAQs”, with the difference being that any question you ask could be considered “frequent” enough to be vetted and correct.
thenewstack.io/mcp-is-rss-f...
thenewstack.io/mcp-is-rss-f...
MCP Is RSS for AI: More Use Cases for Model Context Protocol
MCP's simplicity means that, like RSS autodiscovery and OpenSearch, it can catch on quickly and deliver powerful leverage for developers.
thenewstack.io
June 16, 2025 at 12:06 AM
“MCP Is RSS for AI” is a good analogy, but my analogy would be that MCP is like “Dynamic FAQs”, with the difference being that any question you ask could be considered “frequent” enough to be vetted and correct.
thenewstack.io/mcp-is-rss-f...
thenewstack.io/mcp-is-rss-f...
I’ve been completely nerdswiped by MCP servers... here’s one I made for Lastfm. Use Claude Desktop to ask questions about your personal listening data. Try it out, let me know what I should add!
github.com/rianvdm/last...
github.com/rianvdm/last...
GitHub - rianvdm/lastfm-mcp: A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides seamless access to a user's Last.fm listening data and music information for AI assistants like Claude.
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides seamless access to a user's Last.fm listening data and music information for AI assistants like Claude. - rianvdm/lastfm-mcp
github.com
June 15, 2025 at 11:37 PM
I’ve been completely nerdswiped by MCP servers... here’s one I made for Lastfm. Use Claude Desktop to ask questions about your personal listening data. Try it out, let me know what I should add!
github.com/rianvdm/last...
github.com/rianvdm/last...
@richeholmes.bsky.social Hey, any chance you’ll ever move off Substack? I stopped giving them money, but will happily become a paid subscriber if you move to something like @ghost.org or @buttondown.com.
May 27, 2025 at 11:45 PM
@richeholmes.bsky.social Hey, any chance you’ll ever move off Substack? I stopped giving them money, but will happily become a paid subscriber if you move to something like @ghost.org or @buttondown.com.
Love this take on the “10x engineer”. Ubuntu (the African principle, not the OS) strikes again… “I am because you are.”
“It doesn’t matter how fast an individual engineer can write software. What matters is how fast the team can collectively write, test, […] and revise the software that they own.”
“It doesn’t matter how fast an individual engineer can write software. What matters is how fast the team can collectively write, test, […] and revise the software that they own.”
Why Great Engineering Orgs Thrive on "Normal" Engineers
Software engineer Charity Majors challenges the "10x engineer" myth, arguing that true productivity lies in team performance, not individual brilliance. She encourages building workplaces where "norma...
spectrum.ieee.org
May 26, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Love this take on the “10x engineer”. Ubuntu (the African principle, not the OS) strikes again… “I am because you are.”
“It doesn’t matter how fast an individual engineer can write software. What matters is how fast the team can collectively write, test, […] and revise the software that they own.”
“It doesn’t matter how fast an individual engineer can write software. What matters is how fast the team can collectively write, test, […] and revise the software that they own.”
Any celebration of Reid Miles gets an automatic boost from me. Legend.
“Miles fulfilled the Blue Note manifesto. His album covers pushed the envelope of graphic design just as the artists on the records inside continued to break new ground in jazz.”
“Miles fulfilled the Blue Note manifesto. His album covers pushed the envelope of graphic design just as the artists on the records inside continued to break new ground in jazz.”
The history of album art
I speak and write about design, front-end code, leadership, and (occasionally) math.
matthewstrom.com
May 2, 2025 at 11:47 PM
Any celebration of Reid Miles gets an automatic boost from me. Legend.
“Miles fulfilled the Blue Note manifesto. His album covers pushed the envelope of graphic design just as the artists on the records inside continued to break new ground in jazz.”
“Miles fulfilled the Blue Note manifesto. His album covers pushed the envelope of graphic design just as the artists on the records inside continued to break new ground in jazz.”
This is a wonderful thread started by @ftrain.bsky.social, asking what makes your town special—but I’m obviously biased to @antichrista.bsky.social’s response.
Portland has a lot of silly bike rides: Naked Bike Ride, Bike Prom, Bike Play (a play performed during the course of a bike ride), Pedalpalooza—but the best and silliest of them all is the Ladd’s 500, a relay that takes place around a traffic circle (500 laps is a century) bsky.app/profile/anti...
8th First Annual Ladd’s 500! Team Magic Sk8 Ball did 373 laps (74.6 miles) I love this stupid circle party so much
✨🛼🎱
✨🛼🎱
April 19, 2025 at 9:59 PM
This is a wonderful thread started by @ftrain.bsky.social, asking what makes your town special—but I’m obviously biased to @antichrista.bsky.social’s response.
Every once in a while a preorder shows up before release date and it’s always such a wonderful thing when that happens.
Mdou Moctar’s band made a 4-track EP. It comes out on Friday but it showed up today and this thing goes so hard. It’s like post-punk desert blues.
Mdou Moctar’s band made a 4-track EP. It comes out on Friday but it showed up today and this thing goes so hard. It’s like post-punk desert blues.
April 15, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Every once in a while a preorder shows up before release date and it’s always such a wonderful thing when that happens.
Mdou Moctar’s band made a 4-track EP. It comes out on Friday but it showed up today and this thing goes so hard. It’s like post-punk desert blues.
Mdou Moctar’s band made a 4-track EP. It comes out on Friday but it showed up today and this thing goes so hard. It’s like post-punk desert blues.
I love this essay so much. I want to be this dad for my kids.
“The single-most important thing he gave me, besides unconditional love, was modeling how to use music in my life.“
“The single-most important thing he gave me, besides unconditional love, was modeling how to use music in my life.“
I Learned to Listen From My Dad
He taught me a crucial survival skill when he passed down his rock’n’roll fandom.
www.hearingthings.co
April 14, 2025 at 12:18 AM
I love this essay so much. I want to be this dad for my kids.
“The single-most important thing he gave me, besides unconditional love, was modeling how to use music in my life.“
“The single-most important thing he gave me, besides unconditional love, was modeling how to use music in my life.“
Interesting data on which movies aged poorly (and well), but it’s the genre data that stood out to me.
“According to our rating-change data, horror movies age notably well, while comedy and drama see a marked decline in appraisal over time.”
www.statsignificant.com/p/which-movi...
“According to our rating-change data, horror movies age notably well, while comedy and drama see a marked decline in appraisal over time.”
www.statsignificant.com/p/which-movi...
Which Movies Have "Aged Poorly"? A Statistical Analysis
Which films have not stood the test of time?
www.statsignificant.com
April 10, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Interesting data on which movies aged poorly (and well), but it’s the genre data that stood out to me.
“According to our rating-change data, horror movies age notably well, while comedy and drama see a marked decline in appraisal over time.”
www.statsignificant.com/p/which-movi...
“According to our rating-change data, horror movies age notably well, while comedy and drama see a marked decline in appraisal over time.”
www.statsignificant.com/p/which-movi...
@taylorlorenz.bsky.social Hey there, just wanted to mention a data point that I would become a paid subscriber the moment you move off Substack, to something like Ghost or Buttondown.
April 2, 2025 at 11:50 PM
@taylorlorenz.bsky.social Hey there, just wanted to mention a data point that I would become a paid subscriber the moment you move off Substack, to something like Ghost or Buttondown.
@therealadam.com Hey there, I’m subscribed to your RSS feed and every article title shows up as “Adam Keys is Thinking”. If possible, it would be great to change that to a title That helps RSS readers like me quickly parse the topic. Thanks for considering!
April 1, 2025 at 12:11 AM
@therealadam.com Hey there, I’m subscribed to your RSS feed and every article title shows up as “Adam Keys is Thinking”. If possible, it would be great to change that to a title That helps RSS readers like me quickly parse the topic. Thanks for considering!
I love this deep-dive on the little interjections we use in everyday speech. One example:
“Other interjections serve as ‘continuers,’ such as ‘mm-hmm’—signals that the speaker should keep going. Because ‘mm-hmm’ is made with a closed mouth, it’s clear that the signaler does not intend to speak.”
“Other interjections serve as ‘continuers,’ such as ‘mm-hmm’—signals that the speaker should keep going. Because ‘mm-hmm’ is made with a closed mouth, it’s clear that the signaler does not intend to speak.”
Huh? The valuable role of interjections
Utterances like um, wow and mm-hmm aren’t garbage — they keep conversations flowing
knowablemagazine.org
March 26, 2025 at 12:56 AM
I love this deep-dive on the little interjections we use in everyday speech. One example:
“Other interjections serve as ‘continuers,’ such as ‘mm-hmm’—signals that the speaker should keep going. Because ‘mm-hmm’ is made with a closed mouth, it’s clear that the signaler does not intend to speak.”
“Other interjections serve as ‘continuers,’ such as ‘mm-hmm’—signals that the speaker should keep going. Because ‘mm-hmm’ is made with a closed mouth, it’s clear that the signaler does not intend to speak.”
I wrote a bit about the importance of “Visibility of System Status” in #productmanagement. elezea.com/2025/03/ack-...
"Ack, think, act"—building trust as a product manager
A short post about how important is for PMs to provide "visibility of system status" to the teams they work with.
elezea.com
March 15, 2025 at 11:00 PM
I wrote a bit about the importance of “Visibility of System Status” in #productmanagement. elezea.com/2025/03/ack-...
This is a good @harper.lol primer on how to “brainstorm a spec, then plan a plan, then execute using LLM codegen.” If you have an idea for a product this is such a great way to get a working prototype out there.
My LLM codegen workflow atm
A detailed walkthrough of my current workflow for using LLms to build software, from brainstorming through planning and execution.
harper.blog
March 3, 2025 at 1:24 AM
This is a good @harper.lol primer on how to “brainstorm a spec, then plan a plan, then execute using LLM codegen.” If you have an idea for a product this is such a great way to get a working prototype out there.
This tracks (lol) and seems obvious, but the data is fun.
“Younger listeners tend to exhibit a ‘discovery mindset,’ actively seeking novelty. Older listeners may approach streaming from a ‘maintenance mindset,’ knowing what they want and using a given platform to reinforce established preferences.”
“Younger listeners tend to exhibit a ‘discovery mindset,’ actively seeking novelty. Older listeners may approach streaming from a ‘maintenance mindset,’ knowing what they want and using a given platform to reinforce established preferences.”
How Do Music Listening Habits Change With Age? A Statistical Analysis
How does music listening change as we grow older?
www.statsignificant.com
February 13, 2025 at 11:59 PM
This tracks (lol) and seems obvious, but the data is fun.
“Younger listeners tend to exhibit a ‘discovery mindset,’ actively seeking novelty. Older listeners may approach streaming from a ‘maintenance mindset,’ knowing what they want and using a given platform to reinforce established preferences.”
“Younger listeners tend to exhibit a ‘discovery mindset,’ actively seeking novelty. Older listeners may approach streaming from a ‘maintenance mindset,’ knowing what they want and using a given platform to reinforce established preferences.”
Omg it’s a Gen X dream come true. The original “friend of the show” is back. Subscribed!
I have begun reclaiming blogging by discussing Hitler and my dead lizard.
My blog has a dark theme and an RSS feed, and I hope you'll consider checking it out.
merlin.ghost.io/ta-da/
My blog has a dark theme and an RSS feed, and I hope you'll consider checking it out.
merlin.ghost.io/ta-da/
“Ta-da.”
I accidentally made this website into a newsletter, and it looks like almost fourteen people accidentally signed up for it. Which is awesome and weird. Thank you.
merlin.ghost.io
February 4, 2025 at 12:55 AM
Omg it’s a Gen X dream come true. The original “friend of the show” is back. Subscribed!
When @andrewliptak.com writes about Lord of the Rings, I pay attention. This is one if his best, y’all.
“A critical theme throughout Tolkien’s work is the decline of a once-great people, with weak men failing to live up to the lives and stories of their predecessors.”
“A critical theme throughout Tolkien’s work is the decline of a once-great people, with weak men failing to live up to the lives and stories of their predecessors.”
Middle-earth disinfo campaigns
Denethor, Palantírs, and propaganda in J.R.R. Tolkien's Return of the King
transfer-orbit.ghost.io
January 27, 2025 at 1:42 AM
When @andrewliptak.com writes about Lord of the Rings, I pay attention. This is one if his best, y’all.
“A critical theme throughout Tolkien’s work is the decline of a once-great people, with weak men failing to live up to the lives and stories of their predecessors.”
“A critical theme throughout Tolkien’s work is the decline of a once-great people, with weak men failing to live up to the lives and stories of their predecessors.”
Struggling on new ways to say “no”, #productmanagement? This site might help. https://letsnotdothat.com/
Master the Art of the Product Manager 'No'
Keep your meetings smooth and your priorities on track!
letsnotdothat.com
January 27, 2025 at 12:14 AM
Struggling on new ways to say “no”, #productmanagement? This site might help. https://letsnotdothat.com/
Went to the Post Office today and get this—thanks to modern technology I got to listen to music on the way there and back! This is a game changer. Imagine always having 12 songs in your pocket!
January 22, 2025 at 11:27 PM
Went to the Post Office today and get this—thanks to modern technology I got to listen to music on the way there and back! This is a game changer. Imagine always having 12 songs in your pocket!
I finally had a chance to make my way through this well-researched Spotify exposé, and dang it’s infuriating.
“A model in which the imperative is simply to keep listeners around, whether they’re paying attention or not, distorts our very understanding of music’s purpose.”
“A model in which the imperative is simply to keep listeners around, whether they’re paying attention or not, distorts our very understanding of music’s purpose.”
The Ghosts in the Machine, by Liz Pelly
Spotify’s plot against musicians
harpers.org
January 19, 2025 at 2:24 AM
I finally had a chance to make my way through this well-researched Spotify exposé, and dang it’s infuriating.
“A model in which the imperative is simply to keep listeners around, whether they’re paying attention or not, distorts our very understanding of music’s purpose.”
“A model in which the imperative is simply to keep listeners around, whether they’re paying attention or not, distorts our very understanding of music’s purpose.”
I wrote a little bit about the unhelpful language we sometimes use when teams "slip" on deadlines.
Regarding "missed" and "slipped" deadlines
One of the issues with quarterly planning cycles and committing to due dates on that cadence is that teams are often asked to commit to dates before they have figured out all the unknowns.
elezea.com
January 10, 2025 at 8:40 PM
I wrote a little bit about the unhelpful language we sometimes use when teams "slip" on deadlines.
I am trying to read more books in 2025 so I am testing a theory that it’s the Kindle that puts me to sleep as soon as I open it. So here is an actual TBR pile!
This year’s non-fiction theme is music. Fiction theme is all SF/F (with the exception of the new Orphan X novel because I love that guy).
This year’s non-fiction theme is music. Fiction theme is all SF/F (with the exception of the new Orphan X novel because I love that guy).
January 6, 2025 at 12:52 AM
I am trying to read more books in 2025 so I am testing a theory that it’s the Kindle that puts me to sleep as soon as I open it. So here is an actual TBR pile!
This year’s non-fiction theme is music. Fiction theme is all SF/F (with the exception of the new Orphan X novel because I love that guy).
This year’s non-fiction theme is music. Fiction theme is all SF/F (with the exception of the new Orphan X novel because I love that guy).
@smore.bsky.social Thanks for your music discovery post, very useful! I am also heavily invested in Bandcamp.
Also, I find the weekly www.allmusic.com email another good way to keep up with new releases. And the iOS app MusicHarbor alerts you of new releases by artists in your library.
Also, I find the weekly www.allmusic.com email another good way to keep up with new releases. And the iOS app MusicHarbor alerts you of new releases by artists in your library.
January 2, 2025 at 3:33 PM
@smore.bsky.social Thanks for your music discovery post, very useful! I am also heavily invested in Bandcamp.
Also, I find the weekly www.allmusic.com email another good way to keep up with new releases. And the iOS app MusicHarbor alerts you of new releases by artists in your library.
Also, I find the weekly www.allmusic.com email another good way to keep up with new releases. And the iOS app MusicHarbor alerts you of new releases by artists in your library.
I love reading end-of-year music wrap-ups from the personal blogs I follow, so this year I decided to make one of my own... elezea.com/2024/12/my-2...
My 2024 in Music
The albums I listened to the most this year, and some brief thoughts on the year ahead.
elezea.com
December 31, 2024 at 3:40 PM
I love reading end-of-year music wrap-ups from the personal blogs I follow, so this year I decided to make one of my own... elezea.com/2024/12/my-2...